Kremlin rejects reports on CIA chief’s Moscow warning

The Kremlin on Thursday dismissed reports that CIA Director John Ratcliffe traveled to Moscow to warn Russia against attacking NATO members, pushing back after U.S. media said the secretive visit was tied to American intelligence concerns that Moscow could test the alliance.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov called the reports “scare stories” and said they did not reflect Russia’s intentions. “A lot of such scare stories are being published right now. Of course, they have nothing to do with reality,” Peskov said, according to AFP. He added that Russia “is facing a very aggressive policy towards itself from European countries.”

CBS News, citing multiple people familiar with the matter, reported that Ratcliffe’s visit was intended to warn Russia not to attack NATO member states amid U.S. intelligence assessments that Russia could try to test the alliance. The Wall Street Journal also reported that Ratcliffe delivered a warning about NATO.

Ratcliffe also raised Iran during the trip, warning of additional sanctions if the Strait of Hormuz does not reopen to shipping traffic, people familiar with the matter told CBS News. The CIA declined to comment on the reasons for the trip.

The visit came to light Tuesday after a U.S. Air Force jet was spotted flying into a Moscow airport and a diplomatic motorcade moved through the city. CBS News reported that it was Ratcliffe’s first known visit to Russia as CIA director. Ukraine was told a U.S. delegation would travel to Moscow and was asked to hold off on strikes for the duration of the visit, according to a senior Ukrainian official cited by CBS News.

President Donald Trump confirmed the Moscow trip in an interview with conservative radio host Glenn Beck but rejected suggestions that it was connected to Iran or to concerns that Russian President Vladimir Putin might test NATO resolve. “None of the above,” Trump said after Beck described the speculation as “crazy.”

“He’s there, you know, very sort of semi-routine. I hate to disappoint people. We would like to see the war with Ukraine end,” Trump said. “John Ratcliffe is a fantastic guy. He’s the head of the CIA, and he is not in there for any of the things that you said. Now something may come … out of it. We’re working very hard to get that war ended, and frankly, they both want to see it ended at this point.”

Peskov told reporters that Ratcliffe spoke with Russian intelligence officials but did not meet with Putin. Sergei Naryshkin, head of Russia’s SVR foreign intelligence service, said he held a “working-level meeting” with Ratcliffe and that they discussed unspecified sensitive matters within the remit of their agencies. Naryshkin said there was nothing unusual about the meeting.

CBS News reported earlier this month that recent U.S. intelligence assessments indicated Putin could be willing to authorize provocative actions on NATO territory, including cyberattacks, hybrid actions and other operations short of conventional military action. U.S. officials cited by CBS News said such moves would not necessarily aim to trigger war, but could test NATO unity and the Trump administration’s willingness to defend allies.

Officials also pointed to drone incursions into Romania, a Russian missile that crossed into Poland last month, and an uptick in alleged sabotage actions and cyberattacks in Europe, CBS News reported. Under NATO’s Article 5, alliance members are expected to defend one another if attacked.

Separately, Politico reported Thursday that the Trump administration is considering sweeping new tariffs on semiconductors and a broader range of technology products that use them, including laptops, gaming consoles and data center servers. The Guardian cited Politico’s report that Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick favors tying foreign companies’ relief from the tariffs to investment in U.S. chip manufacturing, though Washington is also considering a phase-in period and the framework could still be revised.